Best Air Purifiers 2010 It's allergy season, so I wanted to get out an updated list to help those of you looking for cleaner indoor air. In addition, a few weeks ago I sat on an in-house panel for a Very Big Company, evaluating a totally new air purifier which their labs are working on. After a day of talking about air purifiers, I came away with some pretty interesting facts: Less than 10% of homeowners have air purifiers Most of those who have them do so because of bad allergies or smoking related issues Many air purifiers are too expensive for most people to purchase comfortably Ionizing purifiers have faded due to fears of the ozone that they tend to create While this VB Company's new invention won't be out for a few years (I'll keep you posted), here is an exhaustive list of everything you need to know now, along with a recommendation from me to use one of these things - particularly in your bedroom - to help "cure" your home. I've become a bit of an air purifier nut over the years and have two in the office and two at home.

Originally, I used them because I believed that they helped keep the dust down and the home cleaner, and now I've come to appreciate how much better the air quality is as well. With indoor air much more polluted in general than outdoor air (if you can believe it), having a quiet, energy efficient air purifier in your home should be, in my opinion, an integral part of your home design plan. >> IQAir HealthPro Plus ($800 and up): This one comes with the highest price tag and the highest rating from our own test lab, BUT it's big: "we cannot recommend this thing enough...it is one of the few products that completely lived up to its claims with immediate noticeable effects in a real world environment." "I have asthma and once lived with a roommate who had a long-haired cat and refused to vacuum. My solution was the IQ Air machine for the living room and the Blue Air for my bedroom. They were extremely expensive, but very, very useful." - Jplee "i have a blueair and has done wonders on my allergy.

it is pricey but it's well worth it." - cscamp >> Blueair ($300-$1000) - This Swedish company first popped up in the US about ten years ago, offering premium air purification in a much more stylish package. Their purifiers are all filter based, often with multiple stages, extremely quiet and come with steel construction.clean room hvac control "After learning a bit more about air quality and reflecting on the fact that I live with 2 cats on a very busy street that's 1 block away from the BQE I JUST got an Austin Healthmate last week on Craigslist and I love it. best air purifiers for asthma and allergiesIt's got three speeds so it can either be quiet or a white noise machine, and it really makes a difference. are air purifier effective

It also inspired me to keep the house cleaner in its honor. I recommend it!" - mskk >> Austin Air ($300-$550) - These air purifiers are made by an American company and also combine steel construction with multiple HEPA filters and activated carbon to clean the air. What I like about Austin is their mini Health Mate Jr. which seems particularly well shaped for small spaces. >> LightAir IonFlow 50 ($350-$495) - This one is a very attractive, ionizer style of air purifier which suits the designer inside of us (consider it the Absolut of air purifiers). It is silent, creates no ozone and we clean it weekly, as it collects dust and particulate matter that quickly. While these don't seem to clean the air quite as thoroughly as the fan driven HEPA models, they DO work, require no filter purchases and tests show that the LightAir "effectively eliminates practically all airborne particles (size 0.3-1.0 μm) in only 5 hours." >> Honeywell HEPA Air Purifiers ($100-$260) - These are dependable, affordable workhorses that do a great job if you don't care too much about looks and aren't hyper air sensitive.

We've used these for a number of years and are always impressed how dirty they are inside after just a few months. Honeywell has a number of shapes and sizes, and most are 99.97% efficient at capturing particles 0.3 microns. This seems good enough for most of us. >> Blueair Airpod ($99) - I saw this while doing a house tour and liked the design. It's just a mini portable air purifier, which comes with a disposable filter that also doubles as a changeable decor statement. OTHERS I'VE HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT >> and they work great for removing pet odors and my allergies." - Jlc68 >> Rabbit Air Purifiers: "I have a rabbitAir MinusA2. It is sleek, quiet, and works really well!!" - Kit >> Vornado Aqs35: "I have a vornado vaqs35 with HEPA. It has greatly reduced the dust in my small (290 sq ft) studio. At the highest setting, it clears out lingering cooking smells in about half an hour." - ilonastella >> How to Shop for an Air Purifier >> How To (Almost) Allergy-Proof Your Home

>> How To: Create a "Dust-Free" BedroomIn this article we will cover how an ionic air purifier works.  We summarize the advantages and disadvantages of this filterless air purifier. At the bottom there are links to ionic air purifier reviews. The ionic air purifier is also referred to as an ion generator or air ionizer. It is basically half of an electrostatic precipitator. Here is a graphic that highlights how it works. This seems a little complicated.  However, all it is doing is just sending out an electrical charge into the air.  There is no filter.  It is a true filterless system. Think about it like a television where the screen has a static charge.  This charge helps to hold the dust onto the screen. The air ionizer does the same type of thing except it emits the charge into the air in your room.  The idea is that the charges will attach the dust particles.  Then the dust will stick to surfaces and not be in the air. A concern with an ionic air purifier is the creation of ozone.  

Ozone is a gas.  It is also known as O3. Ozone can work well for odor removal.  The issue is it is a lung irritant. In our tests we measure particle removal.  We show the results of the efficiency of the air purifier.  We do not have the equipment to test for gases.  This includes the removal of gases and production of ozone. To compensate for this we review the tests done at leading laboratories and by the government.  We include a summary of their findings.  Although we do not factor gases into our rankings.  But, the ionic air purifier reviews show the filter efficiency. Remember electrons and protons from high school physics? If you are like most, the answer is no.  Anyways, don’t worry we will make it simple. An electron is a negative charge.  A proton is a positive charge. An ion means the number of electrons and protons are not the same for a molecule.  This means it has either a positive or a negative charge. You have experienced this charge if you have ever felt a shock in cold, dry weather.

Anyways, for an air purifier what is emitted is a negative charge.  A negative ion is sometimes called an anion. In our testing we have noticed that many HEPA air purifiers have an ionizer function.  Even though these models have an ion function we do not consider them true ionizers since the HEPA filter is the main way they filter the air. The ionization is a way to improve the particle removal ability of the HEPA filter. It consists of a low powered ion brush.  What it does it emit negative ions into the air. Some models give you the ability to turn off the ionizer while others do not.  In our opinion it’s better to have the option to turn it off. In reading reviews, we have found several people like the ionizer.  However, for some that are very sensitive to smells they did not like it. With that said, we have not come across a HEPA air purifier that does not meet the strict California ozone requirements.  Each model is required to be tested to emit little to no ozone and within what is considered safe by the FDA.